Entrepreneurs of the Future

A group of sixth form students have been learning what it takes to succeed in the world of business, thanks to a Cardiff University programme.

The eight-week course, run by Cardiff Business School, gave the pupils from Welsh medium schools in Cardiff a taste of the world of leadership and management.

The majority of the course was delivered in Welsh by lecturers, professors and entrepreneurs.

Eifion Griffiths, owner of Welsh wool business Melin Tregwynt, Bethan Darwin, of Thompson Darwin Solicitors and Angela Parry Lowther, former head of marketing at BBC Wales, were among the speakers.

Elsie Roberts, from Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, said: “They’ve shown me that you really can achieve anything and that you don’t have to move to London to have an exciting career.

“Ann Beynon who used to lead BT in Wales gave a talk. That made me think about how women and men aren’t always equal, but she made me a lot more hopeful. If she can achieve that, then I can too.”

As well as hearing from successful leaders from organisations around Wales, the group had the opportunity to visit and shadow Santander Bank branch managers. They also got the chance to take part in a trading room session led by a postgraduate student from Cardiff Business School.

Rachel Davies, also from Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr, added: “It’s given me a taste of what it’s like to have a career in business rather than just studying it at school. I also enjoyed hearing from a student at Cardiff Business School about his experiences travelling.”

Gareth Hall Williams, Assistant Head of Ysgol Plasmawr, said: “I am incredibly grateful to Cardiff Business School for their willingness to arrange and participate in such an innovative, course.

“Bringing together pupils from three Welsh medium schools to attend sessions provided by seven different speakers has taken an incredible amount of work and effort and has allowed a cohort of 16 and 17-year-old aspirational pupils to have a brief insight into various aspects of leadership, management and life as an entrepreneur, all within a University setting.”

Speaker Bethan Darwin, who is a partner at Thompson Darwin Law firm, said: “As someone who had the benefit of a Welsh medium education that has served me very well, I was very happy to be asked to help with this course. Welsh language in all aspects of life, including business, is an integral and important part of modern Wales.”

This is the first such course Cardiff Business School has run through the medium of Welsh.

Dr Eleri Rosier, of Cardiff Business School, who ran the course, said: “I’ve been extremely impressed by the students who took part. They all have great potential as leaders of the future and have shown much enthusiasm and commitment to their studies.

“Being able to use the Welsh language in the workplace opens doors to people. It’s important that we invest the time to mentor talented individuals and show them that it is possible to have a long and highly successful career if they remain in Wales, whether they choose to work in the private or public sectors.”